Unearthed Arcana New Unearthed Arcana: Rune Knight, Swarmkeeper, The Revived

Another new Unearthed Arcana! "In today’s Unearthed Arcana, three classes each receive a playtest option. The fighter gets a Martial Archetype option: the Rune Knight. The ranger gains a Ranger Archetype option: the Swarmkeeper. And the rogue acquires a Roguish Archetype option: the Revived."

 

[Paul Farquhar]

You can't dodge with cunning action. You could hide but then you'd immediately lose it. You could disengage, which helps with the being ranged in melee issue with something like a crossbow. Dash is useful for ranged as well, especially since you need to be somewhat close to use the special attack, and you'd rather be farther away when firing your weapon.

Yes, you are right, I misread. Which makes it even odder, since you could find yourself dashing around simply to trigger the ability (one presumes you can't disengage if you are not engaged).

 

[RSIxidor]

Yes, you are right, I misread. Which makes it even odder, since you could find yourself dashing around simply to trigger the ability (one presumes you can't disengage if you are not engaged).

You can disengage if there is no one threatening you. It removes opportunity attacks for the entire turn, not just from people you start adjacent to.

You can also dash without actually using the additional movement.

Hide is probably the one bit in Cunning Action you can't just take whenever, because hiding has some DM fiat in when it can be done, although maybe you could still argue you could take the hide action but fail to actually hide.

 

[Parmandur]

Man in the Moon, pyramids on Mars.

There is a very strong tendency for humans to look for patterns where no pattern exists.

Well, the most likely product that this would be for is a Setting book. There have been five books with Subclasses so far: the PHB, three Setting books and XGtE. They have spoken about a XGtE being years away, recently, while it seems that a Setting book a year is their current pattern.

13 Subclasses, minus however many don't make the cut, is about right for a Setting book.

This doesn't seem to be for Dark Sun, Birthright, Mystarra, Greyhawk, Spelljammer, Ravenloft or Dragonlance. Therefore, the remaining suspects are Planescape, Magic: the Gathering or something new.

 

[Sacrosanct]

AFAIC, the barbarian steps all over the fighter's toes. IMO, the barbarian is a background or subclass, and never should be it's own class. So in that context, having the rune knight as a fighter makes the most sense.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

They have spoken about a XGtE being years away, recently

Over a year ago. By the time this publication appears it will be about two.

13 Subclasses, minus however many don't make the cut, is about right for a Setting book.

SCAG has 10, Ravnica has 2, and Eberron will have 3. 13 seems far too many, especially since we might not be done yet, we may go round again.

 

[Parmandur]

Over a year ago. By the time this publication appears it will be about two.

Nay, Mearls said "two to three years away" for a XGtE follow-up this year, at D&D Live in May 2019, a mere 5 months ago this weekend. Taken at face value, that suggests a 2022-23 timeframe, which would make sense particularly if they go into more Setting books in the interim.

I wouldn't put Mearls being disingenuous out of the question, but he was direct and specific about the many years aspect, when historically he has deflected when something is in the works (talking about a follow-up to Yawning Portal as something he wouldn't be surprised to see while GoS was mostly written).

SCAG has 10, Ravnica has 2, and Eberron will have 3. 13 seems far too many, especially since we might not be done yet, we may go round again.

XGtE had 28, way more than have been out out here.

Ravnica tested 4, 2 made it in: if only half of these make it in, that's 6 or 7. Which is about the average for the 3 Setting books, nowhere near XGtE. And even if all 13 make it in (the Archivist at least is in, it seems), still not that out of line for the 3 Settings so far, but way short of XGtE.

 

[OB1]

Mmm.. a Wizard? A Warlock? A Sorcerer? A Cleric of a dark deity?

Also it's not necessarily about cheating death here, as the narrative implies you're sent back. So it could also be a Paladin (just so say someone that is in many ways opposite to a Rogue) being sent back to finish her quests and fulfill her oath.

Hmmmm, could these be a back door test of Prestige Classes? I could see all three of these UAs working as PrC for multiple classes, but since PrCs have so much baggage, perhaps they are testing under the guise of subclass to separate the concepts they are looking at from the eventual method of implementation.

Rune Knight - Fighter, Barbarian, Cleric?, Artificer, Paladin
Swarm Keeper - Ranger, Druid, Sorcerer, Bard, Monk?
The Revived - Any (pre-requisite that you have died and been resurrected?)

 

[TwoSix]

The death bolt flavor is a little odd, but the mechanic of being able to use the rogue bonus action for cunning action AND a followup chance to activate sneak attack (instead of dual-wielding) is fantastic.

 

[Undrave]

The RULES OF GRAMMAR?!!!! So you define a barbarian as: "someone who deliberately chooses not to talk properly". Yoda the archetypical barbarian believe you?

Now I want a Paladin Order dedicated to good grammar who worship a Librarian/Knowledge god. They go around correcting people and distributing grammar books and dictionaries...

What Oath would that be?

 

[Xenonnonex]

Now I want a Paladin Order dedicated to good grammar who worship a Librarian/Knowledge god. They go around correcting people and distributing grammar books and dictionaries...

What Oath would that be?

The oath of the overcorrected sentence. Which can be taken multiple ways. The oath of stringent learning.
These paladins better go around smashing books and dictionaries into people's faces.